


(Romantic) Tales from the Borderlands

by EmpressOfTheFlame



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales From The Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: NSFW, PWP, Reader-Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-23 03:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12497876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressOfTheFlame/pseuds/EmpressOfTheFlame
Summary: Everyone needs a little bit of love to make it through the day.[Various X Reader]





	1. Reading the Moment (Rhys)

**Author's Note:**

> Also going to be posted to borderlands-imagines!

Goddamn it, you wish he could just read the moment.

Rhys went back and forth with romantic moments, sometimes refusing to admit he was flirting with you, other times, owning up to it and letting the awkwardness of the timing ride out. Now that you were finally becoming a little closer to him, a little more interested, you were responding more to his advances, but of course that’s when he chose to freeze up.

You stare up at him expectantly, inching closer, giving more and more hints that you want him to close the distance between the two of you. He seems entirely distracted by something, perhaps lost in his thoughts, but there couldn’t be a more inconvenient moment for that to be happening. Eventually you let out a sigh.

“Uh, we are gonna kiss? Because we should kiss. Perfect moment for it, actually, considering how you’ve been trying to put the moves on me for a few months.”

“Oh, uh, right… sorry.”

You almost roll your eyes but you lean forward again, this time with Rhys following suit; he tastes sort of sweet, which is a bit surprising but it was pleasant at least. For someone who had only had one girlfriend (that you knew of) he wasn’t too bad a kisser, although he could stand to be a little rougher.

When you finally pull away, Rhys has a dazed smile on his face; he’s probably patting himself on the back for making the first move, completely forgetting about how you basically orchestrated the events.

“Wow… that was **awesome**.”

“Well, haven’t heard a kiss described like that before but I’ll take it.”


	2. Scammin' (Sasha)

“You know, these little scams seem to get more and more dangerous.”

“I know, I know.” From the laid back way Sasha had said that, you could tell she wasn’t getting your point. You cross your arms and stare at her as she continues to wander around, gathering the things she’d need before she met up with Fiona to risk their lives again. “Come on, don’t give me that look.”

“Sorry if I’m not thrilled about the fact you have to pretend to be in love with someone else.” Your arms remained tightly crossed even as Sasha comes towards you to give you affection. “Especially an idiot that apparently can’t tell he’s being played.”

“Well, that’s better for us in the end, isn’t it? Look...” Sasha grabs your shoulders, “I know it’s hard for us right now, but if we pull this off... think about how much easier it’ll be to live. We won’t have to worry about eating day by day! We can actually sit back and relax!”

“I... I guess.” Your arms relax and she knows she’s won you over.

“I’ve gotta go now.” She gathers everything up and heads to the door, turning to you just before she leaves. “Blow a kiss my way for good luck?”

You do as she requests, and she sends you that bright smile that made you fall in love with her in the first place.


	3. Dramatic Confession (Rhys)

“Those things you said yesterday… did you really mean them?”

You knew Rhys would question you about that the minute the two of you were finally alone, and now all you can do is nervously laugh. It had been a stressful situation, where you had been pretty sure your death was imminent; you didn’t think you would have to deal with this confrontation. Mid-battle love confessions never worked out the way anyone wanted them to, but now you had a bit of a mess to deal with.

“Well… you know.” You shrug your shoulders, trying to play it cool. You had already confessed, so you weren’t sure why your brain told you to run circles around the subject instead of just being straight-forward. “I think it’s pretty cool you went out there in the front lines even though you’re a sheltered Hyperion employee who’s never faced any type of physical threat once in your life.”

“You know, that sounds way more insulting than what you said yesterday.” But he doesn’t seem to be upset by your words, instead more amused. This was not the same Rhys who had been a simple mid-level Hyperion employee, but one who had actual experience when it came to the harsh reality of living on Pandora. There was something more confident about the way he talked, a certain pep in his step that showed he was a new person.

Still a bit of a dork, but that was just part of the Rhys charm you’d grown to appreciate.

“Well, what do you want me to say? I said what I had to yesterday.” You’re glad he’s not thrown off by your seemingly frosty attitude, because you weren’t entirely ready to have to confront your feelings now that your life isn’t in danger. He stops walking which in turn causes you to stop and look at him.

“Well, I wanted you to know that I feel the same. And I want to take you out. On like, a date, a real date… when I can actually find somewhere that’s decent to take you on a date to… you know?”

“Yeah, I got it.” You fiddle around with the waist band of your pants, pretending to fix your outfit. “A date on Pandora. I can probably think of a few places we can go, if you’re really interested in taking me on a date.”

“I’m all ears.” He smirks. “I’m glad you’re over the whole ‘I never said I loved you in mid-battle what are you talking about’ phase. Some real room for growth there.”

“If you keep bringing up things like that then you’re going to be alone longer than you’d like.”


	4. Goodbye (Sasha)

The room is quiet, as it had been the past few days as the two of you tried to work out exactly what you were. 

You couldn't explain how you felt exactly, but your chest felt tight, as though something was trying to burst out but you were doing all you could to stop it. You couldn't tell how Sasha was feeling but you figured it was the same, mostly due to the pained expression she wore whenever she saw you. Sometimes in life, there are things that don't need to be said. 

You wished you'd learned that lesson earlier. 

She was getting ready to go out on her big heist, the one where she'd built up the trust of some dude (who she was 'dating') who owned a bar, and who she had plans of selling a fake vault key to. You had no doubts this was well planned since Felix was involved, but it made you anxious to think about her getting arrested, or worse, being executed by an angry 'boyfriend'. 

Why couldn't things just be simple. 

"Sasha." She was getting ready to leave without another word being said to you, something you weren't going to put up with. She had been giving you the cold shoulder for days but that didn't matter now that she was going out to do something dangerous; even if you were the only one who talked, you could at least keep your conscience clear. 

"Don't say you love me." She gives you a stern look. "I don't want to hear that, okay? I have to go." 

Sasha somehow renders you speechless again, and you wonder why you thought you even had a chance. The tight feeling in your chest finally bursts and it feels like a fire is starting inside, like your heart may explode if you continue to keep it all bottled up. 

"Then don't expect to find me here if you even manage to live through this scam." 

She doesn't give you a response and once again you're the one left to feel like a fool, but this time, you weren't going to wait around for her to come back.


	5. Helpful (Rhys)

“I’d do anything for you.”

You entire face turns red and you whip your head over to look at Rhys, who you had just thanked for helping you fix some broken electronics at your station. He had a tendency to be the one you’d turn to when things broke, mostly because most other Hyperion employees were assholes, and Rhys wasn’t terrible to look at while he was focused on fixing something.

But you hadn’t expected to hear that.

“I… well, thanks, for doing this for me, Rhys.” 

He's cursing himself in his head, wondering why his brain malfunctions that most when he's around a person he's attracted to. At first, he really did just come to help you out of the kindness of his heart; you were new, and he felt bad that you might be punished just because no one else would take the time to explain the way things worked, but after awhile, it just became a natural part of his day. You didn't always require help but he could drop by just to chat and see if you needed something, to which you'd always respond with a cute smile that made his heart flutter. 

He had it rough. 

"Sorry for, uh, making that awkward." 

"It's alright, Rhys." You smile up at him. "I'm glad that you're always here for me. Thank you." 

Jesus, if you kept saying things like that his brain might explode due to being overrun by elaborate fantasies that all included him coming to your rescue, and you giving him a kiss as thanks. He didn't expect anything from helping you (since it was his choice to help) but a man could have a simple fantasy, right? Vaughn had told him to just ask you out, but after the mess with his ex, he wasn't sure he could handle another relationship. 

He waves goodbye and tells you he hopes you have a good day, another thing that seems to make you blush (which, Rhys had to admit, was adorable and made the butterflies in his stomach go into a frenzy) and heads back to his own work station to get started for the day. 

Unfortunately, he finds himself lost in daydreams instead, wondering what could be if he ever got up the courage to ask you out.


	6. Kiss (Handsome Jack)

“You owe me a kiss.”

You roll your eyes, not knowing if he was serious or not; he seemed to think you owed him a lot of things, but you weren’t buying it. He had hired you as a Vault Hunter, if anything, he owed you more than he could possibly give you. But instead of giving him any type of response, you continue on with hacking into the computer in front of you to get the data Jack was asking for. 

"You know, I think it's pretty sexy when you ignore me." 

"You're never going to stop flirting with me while I'm working, are you?"

"I've got a way better job for you to do, sweetheart." 

"I'll give you a kiss if you stop bothering me until I'm back in your office." 

"Done! Signing off, see you soon, beautiful. Feel free to, you know, hurry up; I'm not a man that likes to be kept waiting." 

You can't help but smile to yourself as you finally get through, downloading the data and storing it away safely so your mission could be completed. You could just go back to Jack's office now, knowing he was waiting eagerly for that kiss you promised, but you wanted to make him wait a little bit longer. The best things were worth waiting for, right?


	7. Forever (Handsome Jack)

‘I wish we could stay like this forever,’ You thought to yourself, looking over at Jack’s sleeping face. 'But I can’t tell him that. He’ll get too haughty, knowing how much power he has over me… bastard.’

You lay your head back on Jack’s chest as softly as possible, not wanting to wake him up; it wasn’t often he ever joined you in bed to sleep (he almost always passed out at his desk, because he was a busy man, so the bed was almost expressly used for love-making) but there were the rare occasions where he chose to join you. He had passed out almost instantly, without saying a word though he did give you a few fervent kisses that made you think the bed wasn’t going to be used for sleeping…

But then he had rolled over and passed out. 

It was almost amusing, especially because you know you’d be gone before he’d be awake due to the few personal tasks you wanted to finish up. He would probably contact you and demand you get back, because he was always unhappy if you weren’t next to him in bed when he woke up; cute wasn’t a word you’d normally use to describe Jack, but he could be uncharacteristically needy when he was tired.   
When he was asleep, you could almost forget the terrible things he’s done. When you looked at his face it looked peaceful, relaxed, his normal smirk gone until it was time for him to be Handsome Jack, head of Hyperion. 

'I really do wish we could stay like this forever.’ 

You close your eyes, finally letting your thoughts drift away.


	8. Anger (Rhys)

"I hate this stupid planet!" 

It had been a quiet night before Rhys had burst into the makeshift shelter you'd created to hide from the creeps of the outside world of Pandora; you had been slowly drifting off to sleep before he burst in without any warning to complain about who knows what. He wasn't used to the harshness of the Pandoran people, and you could tell he was having a hard time staying civil with Sasha and Fiona, two local Pandorans who were immediately suspicious of you three (Vaughn was curled up in the corner, though you weren't sure he was asleep) due to your affiliation with Hyperion. 

You couldn't blame them, and even Rhys had to admit that the company had been very volatile (murderous, even) towards the people residing on Pandora. 

It didn't make him any less frustrated though. 

Rhys kicks some dirt up by the entrance of your humble abode before he comes to sit next to you, almost stamping his feet the entire way with a pout on his face. You were tempted to make a joke but weighed in your head how likely it was Rhys would pull a Handsome Jack and just strangle you out of frustration for trying to lighten the moment. Deciding you'd lived a good life anyway, you look over at Rhys, who is now sitting next to you. 

"Did baby not get put down for his nap earlier?"

You don't get strangled but you do get a piercing glare that makes your blood run hot; you'd let him take you here if your friend wasn't curled up in the corner already scarred for life. You lean against his shoulder and pat his hand in a comforting manner, and you see Rhys begin to relax before he finally lets out a sigh that whooshes away all his pent up rage. 

"Something go wrong out there?" You ask curiously, but from the look on his face afterwards, he clearly doesn't want to talk about it. 

"Nothing that isn't the same kind of shit we've been going through already." He runs his fingers through his hair, and you have to appreciate that its stayed styled all this time. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I just... need some sleep." 

"Go for it. I can keep watch for a few hours." You pat your thighs. "Your pillows await." 

Rhys had been shy at first about touching you in a way that felt intimate despite the fact you weren't dating, or together in any way (not by choice, but now was hardly the time to find a significant other). He had soon gotten over it when he realized sleeping on soft thighs was far better than some misshapen rock or his hands, so his shyness had quickly faded. He moves into position and lies his head on your thigh, one hand briefly brushing up against it but quickly be retracted when he realized it might be overstepping a boundary. 

"By the way, Rhys..." You look down at him with a smirk. "You're cute when you're angry. Show that side more often and then maybe... well, I'll leave that up for you imagination." 

You can feel Rhys stiffen on your lap and you do your best not to laugh, though you do hear Vaughn sigh from the other side of the room.


	9. Memories (Handsome Jack)

He was dead. 

Dead!

"You stupid asshole!" You kick the side of his bed, which almost causes your case for of your clothes to fall off of it. You're quick to catch the insides before they spill all over the floor, but the burning sensation in your foot was starting to distract you. 

You had to get out of here. 

'I told you not to fall in love with me.' That was something Jack had said to you before, and he was right. He told you not to get attached, but not because he'd potentially die; it was because he'd been screwed over one too many times by a person he dated, and he didn't want to make a commitment. It stopped nothing, and if anything you'd say Jack was the one who fell for you since he chose to never have another lover (but you couldn't say those types of things to him or he'd get offended). 

Either way, he was gone now, and none of it mattered. 

You were leaving the Helios Moonbase and going back home, back to where things weren't complicated. 

"I wish I'd never met you." You whisper under your breath, latching the suitcase closed. "I wish, I wish, I wish..." 

You wipe away the single tear that threatened to fall, refusing to cry until you were in the safety of your own home, where you wouldn't have to be reminded of him daily. Things in the Moonbase would continue on as normal without their leader, the employees would continue to obsess over their great hero Handsome Jack and mourn his loss, and most likely, they'd continue to screw everyone else over in the end. 

But it wasn't your problem now because you were going home, to a place where your memories would never find you.


	10. First Time (and the Last) (Rhys) [NSFW]

“Well, fine; just this once.”

The words that had gotten you into this situation to begin with.

Rhys presses the front of your body against the alley wall, his lips peppering the side of your neck with soft, but clearly excited kisses. You knew he’d always had a fantasy of having sex in a semi-public place, but you never knew if he’d act on it; you preferred not airing your business out in public, but he pulled out the puppy dog eyes.

The seductive puppy dog eyes that made you want to drop your pants just to make him happy.

“Remember, just a quickie. Not trying to show everyone on this planet-”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rhys turns your head to the side so he can silence you with a deep kiss, his teeth nibbling your lip playfully. “Just enjoy the moment.”

“You better enjoy the moment.” You mutter under your breath, shuddering as your pants and then underwear are pulled down, exposing sensitive skin to the cold night air. He couldn’t have chosen a warmer time? You knew better than to think too deeply into it, because his blood was running so hot right now he probably didn’t even feel the temperature drop when he unbuckled his pants.

You let out a soft sigh as his hardened length presses against your backside, your eyes closing and your legs spreading slightly to give him an easier time; he kisses your shoulder in thanks before he presses his tip against your warmth. You let out a low moan as he presses half away inside of you, but it’s clear he needs a better angle; he pulls you away from the wall without warning and bends you over further, giving him all the access he needed.

“Geez, Rhys, a little-”

His hand slaps against your ass cheek causing you to squeak in surprise, and you have half a mind to turn around and yell at him for interrupting you until he starts moving his hips. He might not have had the biggest or thickest package but he must have spent years learning how to use it right, because he knew what he was doing. He’s careful with keeping you in position, listening to the sounds of your moaning with each pump to confirm he’s hitting all the right spots; one great thing about having him as a lover was he got off on the fact he could get you off.

It really works out for the both of you in the bedroom.

His thrusts are quick and growing quicker, his hand circling around to touch your clit knowingly. You let out another muffled whimper and press back against him to signal that you’re close. A few more thrusts, some more rubbing, and more neck kisses, and you’d be in heaven in no time…

If Pandora wasn’t a planet of absolute madness.

Both of your attention is drawn away from each other and towards the opening of an alley, where two psychos covered in blood and riddled with bullet holes are trying to make their great escape. You both remain frozen, especially as you’re spotted, literally with your pants down and no weapons available to fight back. There’s a moment where you’re sure something awful is about to happen before the shorter of the two psycho’s lets out a laugh, causing his friend to begin laughing with him.

While they’re having the time of their life, laughing like there’s no tomorrow, Rhys slowly pulls out of you and helps you redress before zipping himself off. Keeping you behind him and as far from the two madmen as possible you sneak by them in the alley, where they most likely laughed themselves to death, but neither of you knew because you made yourself scarce and were back to the safety of your home before you could even fully process what had happened.

You flop on your couch, face buried in your hands as you try to think of how to make the situation less embarrassing. At least it wasn’t your friends who had walked into that, right? You never would’ve heard the end of it from Fiona, and neither would Rhys, for that matter. But there’s still an itch in your nether regions that wants to be scratched, and hopefully, your boyfriend feels the same despite the interruption.

“So there’s, uh, no chance you’re gonna let me try that again, is there?”

“I don’t think so.” You cross your arms. “But…”

“But?”

“I don’t object to actually finishing what we started in the comfort of our own bed.”

“Yes!” Rhys pumps his fist before putting on his smooth Casanova face, pretending to slick back his hair. “This way to the bedroom where all your dreams will come true, ma'am.”

“Less talking, more action. You’re much smoother that way.”


	11. Companion (Rhys)

“Wow… you look like hell.”

Rhys raises an eyebrow, quickly running to a mirror and looking at himself. His clothes are in tatters, his face is smeared with blood (gross) and dirt, and in general, it looks like he just went through the fight of a lifetime. Normal Hyperion workers didn’t have to look like this, but at this point, he’s got way more experiences he doesn’t want that other Hyperion works don’t. 

“Thanks, I feel like it, too.” He mumbles, rubbing his eyes and sitting on the makeshift bed you’d made in your shelter. You were both still trying to find your friends, but for the time being, it was better to rest and regroup when it was daytime. The night got a little too dangerous, something you had already told him; but he was too smart to listen, and had stepped right out without a second thought. 

And now he looked like a hot mess. 

“Hell is a good look on you.” You smile playfully, walking over with a wet rag. “Here, let me help you clean up a little.” 

Rhys stiffens up as you touch his face but relaxes into your touch, noting that you still smelt good despite spending a day on this godforsaken planet. He felt guilty about dragging you into his grudge match with Vasquez, even if you hated his guts just as much as he did. It made Rhys’ blood boil to think about the fact you had been demoted because you refused to go on a date with said asshole, and thus you were excited about ruining a deal for him. 

“What are you thinking about?” You ask curiously, his face practically sparkling with how clean it was now. You ring out the rag and wash it in the water bucket you have, squeezing it out as you wait for a response. “Don’t tell me it’s Vasquez. Are you still jealous he asked me out first?”

“Hey! You don’t know that I planned on asking you out to begin with.” 

“Please, it was written all over your face, with that cocky walk as you approached me. Even Vasquez could tell, which is probably why you got such a brutal ‘promotion’ though… I don’t think he really liked you anyway.” You snicker at the scowl on Rhys’ face. “I would’ve said yes if you were less cocky about it; no one likes a show-off.” 

But from the big smile on your face he knows you’re just messing with him, and the joking is much appreciated despite the depressing situation you were in. He realizes that he didn’t know you as well as he thought, he didn’t know this sarcastic, slightly saucy side of you that took on challenges without even twitching. He didn’t know you were trained to use firearms, or that you knew anything about Pandora. All he knew was that you were an attractive person who worked in the same department as him, and he wonders if he would’ve appreciated you as much if he hadn’t been thrown into this current situation. 

“It’s been… nice, spending time with you.” You move to sit on your own makeshift bed, laying down on your side facing Rhys. 

“It is a good way to get to know someone, being thrown into a stressful situation.” You agree. “Though… I can’t believe you’re an experienced hacker at work and you still don’t have enough common sense to use that robot arm of yours to punch.” 

“Hey! I didn’t think about it, okay! I didn’t expect to be ambushed by… bandits and murderers!” 

“You didn’t even do the tiniest bit of research on Pandora before you came here, did you?” 

His awkward look of shame tells you all you need to know. 

“You’re lucky you have me to guide you around.” 

“Yeah, I am lucky to have you.” Rhys says it in a sort of dreamy way, but realizing what he says, he quickly sputters out, “I mean- as a guide, clearly. Lucky to have you… as a guide.” 

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean.” You’re smiling at him now, but it’s clear as it gets darker that it’s time for you both to sleep; you were going to have a long morning ahead of you later. “Goodnight, Rhys.” 

“Goodnight.” 

He lays down on his own bed and makes himself comfortable, starting to drift off before your voice hits his ears. 

“You know, once this is all over, and life is like, stable again, I wouldn’t mind if you asked me out again. I mean, cut out that cocky walk and wipe that weird ‘I wanna be Handsome Jack’ smirk off your face, and I’ll definitely say yes.”

Rhys smiles as he falls asleep; at least one good thing had come out of this trip.


End file.
